In the few years I’ve worked as a Process and Design Manufacturing Engineer at a Japanese company, there are a lot of things that I’ve learned that has stuck with me even after I left the manufacturing industry. Among those that I’ve learned, the one that stuck to me the most was learning the Toyota Way.
The Toyota way is a set of principles that embodies the Toyota Motor Corporation’s management philosophy, and is being practiced in different companies around the world. Dr. Jeffrey Liker, a professor of industrial engineering at the University of Michigan, analyzed these principles in his 2004 book, entitled The Toyota Way. The system is based on two foundational principles: Continuous Improvement (Kaizen) and Respect for people. It contains 14 guidelines, but to simply things, they can be categorized under four main principles.
Here are the 4 main principles of the Toyota Way that may help you in your journey as a continuously improving millennial engineer.
Long-term philosophy
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Any manufacturing company, or any company at that should focus more on longer sustainability rather than focusing on the short-term gains. Employees should find motivation to and set goals that will help them grow professionally through finding purpose and motivation in what they do.
Doing the Right Process Will Give The Right Results
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If there’s one thing that was drilled into my head as a process engineer, it was to reduce if not eliminate waste (muda). There are seven types: overproduction, waiting, unnecessary transport or conveyance, overprocessing or incorrect processing, excess inventory, unnecessary motion and defects. An engineer’s job is to make sure that all these are eliminated in any production process to make sure that the production line works smoothly and efficiently.
As an addition to this, never compromise quality. Engineers love to find shortcuts and can apply it to the production process, if and only if this shortcut will not compromise the quality of the goods.
Add Value To The Organization by Developing The Employees
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Engineering leaders should promote this philosophy to new engineers. Likewise, all employees should understand and embody the system as they grow as professionals as well.
Continuous Improvement
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Kaizen or continuous improvement is also one of the most important things I’ve learned which I believe every engineer should embody. It’s an engineer’s job to look for improvements in engineering designs and processes, and it’s also his/her duty to continuously look for better improvements once their previous improvement can no longer be used, or if their new improvements are even better.
This can also be applied for self-learning. As engineers, our skills need to be regularly developed to be updated with the latest engineering trends in the industry we are working at. Learn new softwares, attend those necessary seminars, be attentive during meetings, and continue to learn.
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